A STRANGE WAY TO FIND OUT
by Alertbay
Summary: What happens when Harry, Ruth and Wes Carter get caught up in a bank robbery? Kudos owns the characters. No insult to a certain restaurant intended.
1. Chapter 1

A Strange Way to Find Out

Harry pushed the sleeve up on his new dressing gown as he scrambled the eggs in the pan. Half listening to the news in the background, he poured the boiled water into the coffee press and popped the bread into the toaster.

_Now, where did the marmalade get to,_ he thought, checking the cupboards. He paused as he heard the news announcer discussing the recent return to politics of the newly cleared Nicholas Blake. _That was one job to be proud of._ He mentally patted himself on the back.

Harry's mind drifted back to the difficult days following the removal of the former Home Secretary; trying to outthink Nightingale, discovering the bomb planned to provoke a mini Armageddon, standing at the bomb site waiting for news of Ros, Ruth waiting beside him, her arm around him. He remembered the moment they carried Ros' broken body out on a stretcher. He remembered Ruth's tears and Lucas' cries. He remembered Ros' broken body. She looked so small in death.

_We're starting to work our way back to some semblance of normal. Loss and gain, gain and loss – the price of serving your country._

As the toast popped, Harry reached over, the gold of his wedding ring catching his eye. Smiling, he was back at the Registry office. Saying "I do" was the easiest thing he'd ever done.

Harry loaded the toast and coffee onto the tray and carried it into his bedroom. He addressed himself to the lump of covers in the centre of the bed.

"Good morning, my Darling"  
"Harry, why are you waking me up so early on a Saturday morning?" Ruth moaned sleepily.

"For Better, For Worse remember, my Darling. That's what you promised." he says with a smile.

"I suppose if the worst thing that happens in our marriage is to be awakened on a Saturday morning, we'll be okay." she smiled back at him. "Now, tell me why", she demanded.

"If you will recall, my Lovely Wife, this is the day we agreed to drive up and see Wes' rugby game and bring him into London for the weekend."

"You enjoy saying that, don't you?"

"Saying what? Rugby?"

"My wife"

"Yes"

"I love you, Harry"

"I love you, too…now, shove over and let's eat."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Following breakfast in bed and a few extra moments to cuddle and kiss, Harry and Ruth were up and ready to depart for Wes' game. Well, almost…

"Ruth!" Harry called. _We almost made it out the door._ Harry couldn't understand why she never made it out the door without one last dash upstairs. He had quickly learned to keep his comments to himself, however, and simply built in the extra five minutes needed to every scheduled activity.

"I'm here, I'm here. I just thought we might need an extra blanket in case we decide to have a picnic."

"It's 10 degrees Celsius outside." He remarked incredulously. "I'm not sure we'll want to have a picnic today."

"Well, Smartypants, perhaps not but what if we do?" She smiled at him, daring him to argue.

"Smartypants? Is that the best argument you can gather?"

"How's this? We can go now _with_ the blanket or you can take it back upstairs." She flashed him a wide grin.

"You're absolutely right." He conceded, "I'm not sure why I didn't see it that way in the first place."

He patted her backside as she walked past him and she swatted playfully at his shoulder.

The car ride to Wes' school was spent lightly bickering over Rachmaninov versus Led Zeppelin, Audi's versus Buick's and Corn Flakes versus Honey Bunches of Oats.

"I don't see why you won't buy the Oats cereal. They've taken corn flakes and added flavour. What could be wrong with that?"

"Harry, honestly, why don't you just pour a cup of sugar into your bowl and drown it in strawberry milk."

"Okay. Can we have that for breakfast tomorrow?" Ruth punched him in the leg.

"Hey, lady, are you trying to cause an accident?" Harry grabbed her hand and laced their fingers together, holding it tightly on his thigh. "You realize you're a menace to society." He continued, bringing her fingers up to his mouth and kissing them each in turn.

"Harry, there's the turn." He released her hand and made the turn.

"Menace to society" He mumbled, grinning to himself.

Arriving at Wes' game, they parked the car. Harry retrieved their chairs from the boot and Ruth carried the thermos of hot chocolate and the blanket.

Noticing Harry's smirk she retorted, "It's not for you, it's for me, to keep my legs warm." And she stuck her tongue out at him.

He switched the chairs to one hand and reached around her to pull her into a bear hug. "You're a one and only, my Love." He chuckled into her hair.

As they set up their chairs, Wes spotted them and ran over. "Uncle Harry!" Harry opened his arms and received the boy into a hug. "I brought Aunt Ruth with me, I hope that's okay. She's a Rugby neophyte but very teachable." Wes looked over and smiled at Ruth. "Thanks for coming to my game."

"My pleasure" replied Ruth. _He still has Adam's irrepressible spirit in spite of all he's been through._

Harry and Ruth sat with the rest of the supporters, gamely cheering through their bluing lips.

After the game, Wes made his way hurriedly over to Harry and Ruth. "Did you see that? I mean, did you see that move I made, Uncle Harry? I deked and then spun around and left him totally in the dust. It was the coolest move. Then Robbie, did you see what he did? He ploughed on through the bunch and …." Ruth had completely lost track of what the boy was saying but she hoped she was nodding and smiling in the right places. She watched Harry's face, enjoying the look of fondness in his eyes for this poor motherless and fatherless child.

"All right now. Where to for lunch?" Harry asked.

"McDonalds!" Wes replied exuberantly. Harry and Ruth groaned in unison.

Ruth tried, "How about a café with chocolate cake for dessert?" Wes' face fell. "Okay, if you want to."

"Or" Ruth began again, "McDonalds and _then_ chocolate cake?" Wes' face beamed. "AhhRrright!"

"I want a Big Mac and fries and a strawberry milkshake and and and an apple pie." His voice softened a little, turning his gaze on Harry. "Is that okay?"

Harry lightly punched him on the shoulder. "It's great, Mate." Wes brightened at the familiar endearment.

"Why don't you find us a table and we'll order." Wes scampered off to find just the perfect spot.

"Mate?" Ruth inquired.

"Adam always called him that." She reached her arm through his and hugged it to her.

"Is there anything on this menu that remotely resembles food?" Harry asked.

"There's a McChicken." Ruth replied. "Chicken is meat."

"What makes it a Mc do you suppose?"

"Can I help you sir?" The waitress interrupted their discussion.

Harry ordered and opened his wallet to pay.

"Um, Ruth, did you remember to go to the bank yesterday?"

"I thought you went."

The waitress intervened. "It's okay sir, we take debit."

"Right. Ummm"

"I'll take care of it" Ruth pulled out her debit card and paid. "You know we can't spend an entire weekend with Wes and have no cash. Which branch is open on a Saturday?"

"I think the Hammersmith branch of Lloyds is open Saturdays, shall we stop on the way back to the house?" Ruth nodded, they picked up their food and headed over to find Wes.

Stopping at the bank proved to be a bit of adventure as they got turned around twice because of construction. Finally the trio trooped into the bank discussing how they were going to get their hands on the promised chocolate cake.

"Really, Wes, I think we can manage to make our own chocolate cake as long as we don't let Aunt Ruth too near the cooker."

"And what is that supposed to mean-" Ruth spun her head around at the sound of doors being slammed.

"Everybody stay still! This is a holdup!"


	3. Chapter 3

What happens when Harry gets caught up in a straightforward bank robbery? OR is this a straightforward anything?

Chapter 3

Harry drew out his phone and red flashed Lucas. He speed dialed Tariq and dumped his phone and wallet in the rubbish bin. He heard the muffled sound of Tariq's voice and hoped the gunmen wouldn't notice the voice amidst the trash.

Harry surveyed the room, assessing the situation. As he cast his eyes around, he saw four masked gunmen. One unmasked man was standing with arms folded just inside the doors. His eyes flitted past and he saw Ruth holding Wes tightly to her side, the boy's eyes wide with fright. Harry judged that he had a few moments while the robbers organized themselves and moved quickly to Ruth and Wes, putting his arms around them both.

"All right, if everybody cooperates, no one gets hurt, ya understand? Hey-" the masked man pointed his gun in the air and fired a few shots. People screamed. Harry moved himself between the gunmen and his loved ones.

"Harry. Harry?" Tariq called into the telephone. Now Lucas was calling Tariq's mobile. _What is this a joke? Torment the poor newbie? _Tariq wondered. He answered the telephone, "Lucas. What's going on?"

"Tariq get a trace on Harry's phone."

"Lucas, I'm on the other line with Harry but he's not answering. And I –never mind."

"What Tariq? Tell me."

"I thought I heard gunshots."

"Keep Harry's line open, start recording the call and-" A black thought crossed Lucas' mind. "And get a trace on Ruth's phone as well."

"Lucas, what's going on?"

"I don't know. I'll be there is 15 minutes." Lucas rang off and, grabbing his coat, headed to the car.

As Harry stood by Ruth and Wes, he located the CCTV cameras in the ceiling and made certain they got a clear shot of him, hoping that either Tariq or Lucas would figure out what was going on.

Lucas burst into the tech room, slowing his pace as he saw Harry on the screen over Tariq's shoulder.

"That is Harry." Lucas stopped, astounded.

"Yep, and that is Ruth and I don't know who the kid is but Ruth's got a tight hold on him." Here Tariq handed Lucas a transcript. "Here's what's happening so far. I think Harry called me and dumped his phone so we could hear what's going on."

"Bank robbers!" Lucas exclaimed. "Where are we, the wild west?"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"All right, all o' ya. Line up over there. Now!" The gunman who seemed to be the mouthpiece for the group pointed to the western wall of the bank. Harry took Ruth's hand and led them over to the wall, positioning them closest to an office door.

Some of the women and a few of the men were crying as they lined up along the wall. One woman was grabbing at the gunmen and pleading with them, "Please please don't hurt me. Please please" so that by the time the customers were positioned against the wall the gunmen were annoyed. Harry judged they had about half an hour until Tariq and Lucas discovered what was happening and sent in the cavalry until…

"Hey you" Harry was jabbed in the stomach "give me your wallet." Harry opened his coat.

"I don't have my wallet."

"Get real man" the gunman pointed his gun directly at Harry's chest.

"My wife has her purse. Why do I need a wallet?" Harry calmly reasoned.

"Ha Ha. Yeah man. Let the old lady do the payin'. I like that." He turned to address Ruth. "Drop it in here, doll" Ruth chanced a glance at Harry who nodded. She dropped her purse into the bag the gunman was holding. As the gunman moved on, Wes made a strange strangled sound in his throat which caused the gunman to pause and step back toward him. Harry looked down at Wes and for the first time realized how pale the boy was. Wes was shaking visibly as he stood between Harry and Ruth. They exchanged a look.

"Hey kid, what's your problem?" the gunman grasped the front of Wes' jersey and the boy promptly vomited all down the gunman's front. Harry blanched at what he knew would come next.

"You rotten brat" the gunman raised his hand to slap the boy. Harry stepped in front of Wes and grabbed the man's arm.

"You don't want to do that." Harry stated coldly, his eyes lancing through the gunman's eyes. The gunman stepped back finding it difficult to hold Harry's stare. Unfortunately, this unusual action caught the attention of the ringleader who strode over to see who this man was that could cow his henchman.

"What's going on here?" He demanded of the gunman.

"Nothin' boss. This here kid puked on me." The Ringleader studied the boy in front of him. Ruth tightened her grip around Wes' shoulders and stared back, defying the man to touch him.

Harry acted quickly when he saw Ruth's determined face. _She'll challenge them all if I don't step in now._ His heart beat with pride in this brave lady at his side.

"My son is sick. Can my wife take him into the washroom and clean him up?" The Ringleader slowly turned and held Harry's gaze.

"This boy is your son?" He said in a measured voice.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you to those who have reviewed this story. This is my first multichapter fic and only my second story. Thanks for the encouragement.**

CHAPTER 5

"This boy is your son?" The Ringleader said in a measured voice

"My Godson." Harry replied. The man held Harry's stare for a long time before he glanced at his henchman. "Wait here" he ordered and moved down the line until he reached someone with a name tag.

"You. Darrell Burns, Assistant Bank Manager" the man read the name tag mockingly. Darrell looked up, shaking in response to the attention.

"Where is the staff washroom?" The Ringleader demanded. The cowed man pointed.

"Is there a key?" Darrell nodded again in response to the question.

"Well?" the ringleader waited impatiently. Darrell looked back at him blankly.

"Give … me…the key." The leader spoke derisively, holding out his hand.

Darrell nodded wanting this interaction over as soon as possible and the attention turned on someone else. "It's in my desk." His voice wobbled as he spoke.

"Then, GET IT!" the leader raised his voice to make his point. He gestured to one of the men to follow him. In a moment, Darrell returned handing the key to the Ringleader with shaking hands.

The Ringleader took the key and walked back over to Harry. He watched Harry as he handed the key to his henchman.

"Take the woman and the boy into the washroom and let her clean him up." His gaze shifted to his man, wrinkling his nose. "And get yourself cleaned up as well."

Harry began to follow them, extremely uncomfortable with the thought of that man alone with his wife but the Ringleader stopped him. "Oh no, sir, I think we'll keep you here." Then the Ringleader turned sharply on his heel and took up a position in the middle of the room.

Harry watched the doorway where Ruth and Wes had disappeared, clenching and unclenching his fists as he waited for them to reappear. Wes' puzzling reaction worried Harry. It was never a good idea to draw attention to yourself in a hostage situation.

After a time, Ruth reappeared with her arm around Wes and made her way to Harry. As she took her place beside him, she looked up, noticing the intense relief on his face. She pondered his intense reaction, _why is Harry __**so**__ concerned?_ She reached out and brushed his fingers, hooking his index finger with her own. He looked down at her. She whispered, "He hasn't spoken a word, Harry. Something is seriously wrong with him." Harry nodded in response, passing a fleeting look over the boy before returning his attention to the bank robbers. _There is more to this situation than a bank robbery._ Harry had a black feeling in the pit of his stomach. He had felt that way before, usually when an operation went wrong.


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

"May I have your attention please." The Ringleader began. "You are perhaps wondering why we are here today. First, I would like to tell you" he paused, "that it is none of your business. However, saying that, I _will_ need your cooperation." He scanned the customers and employees lined up against the wall. "Lack of cooperation will simply not be tolerated. You" he pointed directly at Darrell, the unfortunate Assistant Manager. "Come here" the speaker gestured to his side.

Darrell looked up and fixed a panicked stare at the Ringleader. His feet seemed planted to the spot.

"You see now. That is what I am talking about." He turned to one of his men, the one on whom Wes had desposited his lunch. "Tex, deal with this."

Tex rose up behind the Assistant Manager and brought his gun down across the poor man's shoulders. As Darrell collapsed, Tex grabbed him by the hair and threw him in the Ringleader's direction. Darrell cried out and began to plead.

"Come here" the Ringleader called to him. As Tex advanced, Darrell scrambled to his feet and virtually ran to the Ringleader.

"Much better." He looked at Darrell again. "Now, tell me who keeps the keys to the safety deposit boxes?"

Darrell stammered out his response, terrified of this cold blooded man in front of him. "Th-th-the Manager."

"Now, wh-wh-who is that?" the man mocked Darrell's fear.

"Him." Darrell answered without hesitation, pointing to the Manager.

"Come here." The ringleader fixed his gaze on his new victim. He turned to look at Darrell. "Get back in line." His gaze flickered to Darrell then he immediately forgot him.

The Manager took a deep breath then walked confidently over to the speaker before stopping. He held out his hand and introduced himself, "I am Michael Dresdin, Manager of this bank." The Ringleader's eyes narrowed. He ignored the offered hand and Mr. Dresdin let it drop. "I am instructed to assist the criminals in any hostage situation. What can I do to help?"

The Ringleader studied him with an inscrutable stare.

Mr. Dresdin tried again, "If you tell me what you need, I will comply."

"What I need from you sir, is the keys to the safety deposit boxes."

"They're in my office. This way, please." Not waiting for permission, Mr. Dresdin turned and walked toward his office.

_Brave man,_ Harry thought. _Now maybe we'll find out what this is all about._ His attention shifted back to the men walking toward him. The office behind him must be the Manager's office.

When they entered the office, Mr. Dresdin walked over to his desk and moved to open a drawer.

"Wait." The Ringleader commanded. "Give me the keys to the drawer." The Manager handed them over. "Which drawer?" The Manager pointed. Inside the box were several sets of golden keys, each coded with a tag. The Ringleader slammed his hand on the desk causing his henchmen to look over at him. Harry looked straight ahead grateful that they had left the office door open so he could hear what was going on.

Mr. Dresdin could feel the frustration coming off the previously calm exterior of the protagonist. "If you could tell me what you're looking for, I could guide you."

"I want a specific box, number 667255998."

"We don't code the keys by their numbers. To whom is the box registered?"

The Ringleader seemed to be considering his options before he responded. "Percy Rodman."

Harry stiffened at the name. He glanced down to see if Ruth had heard. Her shocked expression told him she had. _This isn't about money or jewels. This is about terrorism, plain and simple. _Percy Rodman was the alias for Rodan Marfor, an arms dealer suspected of being the conduit for almost every explosive device ignited in the U.K. and France for the past ten years. He had deep connections to the Algerians and the Sudanese. He was retired now, having never been apprehended on a charge that could be made to stick to his slippery hide but it was rumoured that he had stashed all his contact information in a safety deposit box somewhere in London. At the time, Harry had heard about the operation tasked to find out if this was true. They had never found the information and now, here it was, in his own bank.


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

Lucas and Tariq hunched over the computer screen watching the events at the bank. The robbers had fiddled with the CCTV cameras but Tariq was able to bypass their bypass. Lucas was torn between the need to be on the Grid with Tariq and to be on the ground at the bank. Special Forces were on site but Lucas would have preferred to have a section D liaison among them. However, he was the only experienced MI-5 officer in Section D since the Nightingale explosion. Bram Wells and Sharon Fant were above competent but he just didn't know them well enough to trust them. So far, it was just he and Tariq watching the drama unfold.

*****

_Percy Rodman_. "Ruth" Harry whispered, "How do we let them know?" Ruth understood that Harry was looking for a way to notify Lucas.

"Perhaps Morris could help." She responded. He raised his eyebrow at her.

"Who?" He whispered back.

"You know, Morris…..Code." Her voice rose at the end using her intonation to send him a message. Harry reached out and squeezed her arm.

"You are brilliant."

*****

As Lucas pondered the relative benefits of calling in the rest of the team, Tariq noticed something on the screen.

"Lucas" The young man pointed at the picture of Harry on the screen. "What is Harry doing?" They both watched for a time as Harry beat an irregular pattern on Ruth's shoulder with his finger.

"Why the sly devil!" Lucas exclaimed. "It's Morse Code. Quick, Tariq, can you decipher it?"

"Let's see Per see rod man. What's that supposed to mean?" Tariq showed the page to Lucas.

"Not rod man. Rodman. Percy Rodman." He paused. "Pull up everything we have on him. If Percy Rodman is involved, this isn't about robbing a bank. This is something much more. Tariq…red flash the entire team."

*****

Harry hoped that Tariq had gotten the morse message. They couldn't let Rodman's information get into the public domain. It would open up the country to a whole new wave of terrorism. BEEP. _How am I going to intervene without putting Ruth and Wes in danger?_ BEEP. Harry looked over to locate the sound. Ruth had noticed it too and nodded in the direction of the rubbish bin.

"I'm going to murder Tariq." Harry whispered. Ruth raised an eyebrow. "I told him those batteries weren't lasting long enough." Harry's teeth were clenched as though he was biting out the young man's heart.

Mr. Dresdin and the Ringleader exited the Manager's office. BEEP. The Ringleader stilled. BEEP. He pointed to Tex.

"Find that sound immediately."


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

*****

"Tariq, what's happening?" Lucas inquired, noticing the gunman rummaging through the trash.

"Oh no" the young man began "I've told Harry a hundred times he needs to exchange the batteries." Tariq brought his fist to his forehead. "The mobile's beeping because the battery is low."

Lucas' voice was strident. "I'm going down there. Brief Sharon and Bram when they arrive. Contact CO19 and tell them to be ready to go in."

*****

Tex brought the mobile and wallet recovered from the rubbish bin. The Ringleader tried to access information from the mobile but found the keystroke lock activated. Thwarted by the phone, he began to flip through the wallet. Ruth could feel Harry's tension mounting. Harry always left his badge in his desk on the Grid but his wallet contained his security pass and his driver's license, complete with photo.

"So, Mr. uh – Pearce? This lovely black card would seem to indicate that you are not what you seem." He fixed Harry with a cold stare. Harry held the man's stare, giving nothing away.

"Perhaps you could tell me what you are doing here?" He then nodded to Tex who struck Harry with the butt of his gun. As Harry fell to the floor, Wes released a piercing scream and launched himself at the American bank robber. He latched onto the man, kicking, screaming and punching. Ruth tried to pull the boy off but he was too strong. She called to him but he wasn't hearing her. He was lost in his terror, images of his mother and father flashing across his mind.

Tex spun around flattening Wes against a wall causing him to loosen his grip. Tex took the opportunity to lift the boy by the scruff of his neck and fling him to the floor. Wes immediately leapt up and flung himself at Harry.

"Don't die, Uncle Harry, don't die don't die _please_!"

All eyes in the room were fixed on Wes. The Ringleader pulled a pistol from behind his back and pointed it directly at Harry's head.

"Make him stop!" He commanded urgently.

Harry pulled Wes onto his lap as he sat on the floor, wrapping his arms tightly around the boy. He spoke his name softly until the boy looked at him.

"Wes" Harry continued, speaking gently, "Wes. Is that what's wrong, son?" Wes nodded as he sniffled. "I am not going to die. Do you hear me? I am _not_ going to die."

"Promise?" Wes whimpered.

"I promise." Harry reassured him, holding him tightly. "Could you please stay with Aunt Ruth while I go and see to these gentlemen? And if she begins to get worried, remind her of what I told you. Okay?" Wes nodded. Harry gave him one last hug and handed him over to Ruth.

"Mr. Dresdin – Mr. Pearce – please accompany me." The Ringleader, Harry, the Bank Manager and Tex walked through a door behind the bank wickets. They descended a flight of stairs, walked through a hallway to a room filled with little locked boxes.

Harry whispered tersely to the Manager, "We can't let them get this information."

Mr. Dresdin whispered back, "Don't worry."

Tex cuffed Harry in the back of the head, "Hey, no talking." Harry turned and fixed him with a withering stare.

Harry heard the clunk of metal hitting the marble floor.

*****

When Tariq relayed the pictures of Wes Carter freaking out, Lucas knew the situation could turn ugly any moment. He raced to the bank, jumping curbs - driving like a madman. On arrival, he ran up to the line of Officers, showed his badge and was escorted to the Officer in Charge.

"There is an MI-5 officer in that building along with his wife and child. We need to go in – what's your status?"

"Mr. North, two of the gunmen and two of the hostages have just left the main lobby of the bank. We believe this is the time to go in but we've been ordered to wait for your permission. Do we have it?"

"Yes yes. Go go." Lucas responded.

******

The explosion of tear gas served as a red flag to Harry. He shoved Dresdin to the ground with one hand as he propelled himself at the Ringleader. Harry was determined that he would keep his word to Wes. He grabbed the man's gun hand and punched him solidly in the head. The Ringleader fell like a bag of cement.

One of the Officers gave Harry a gas mask as he made his way back up the stairs through the tear gas smog. He strode past Tex who lay pinned beneath the weight of two CO19 officers, stopping beside Mr. Dresdin who was being led away by another officer.

Harry removed his mask long enough to ask, "Mr. Dresdin, what did you mean when you said, 'Don't worry'?"

Dresdin looked Harry up and down before he answered. "You don't truly believe that a man like Percy Rodman would keep such important information in a bank in London, do you?"

Harry studied the man. "You and I need to have a conversation." Dresdin returned Harry's implacable stare.

Meanwhile, upstairs, the Chief Inspector approached Ruth and Wes tucked together beneath a table, Ruth's long flowing skirt protecting their faces. He double checked the photo he'd been given and addressed himself to Ruth, "I'm looking for the MI-5 Officer."

Ruth replied, "I'm an MI-5 Officer."

The Chief Inspector looked surprised, "I'm looking for Mr. Pearce?"

"My husband." Ruth replied. The adults didn't notice Wes' thoughtful stare.

Harry walked away from Dresdin, knowing that he would learn nothing new from him right now. He caught sight of Ruth and Wes talking to the Chief Inspector and quickened his pace to meet them as they ran to meet him.

Harry held them tightly, two of the most precious people in his life. Harry sighed as he led them out of the bank. Lucas was waiting outside the doors. He hugged Ruth and tousled Wes' hair.

As the three spooks began to debrief in a huddle, they were interrupted by Wes' tentative voice, "Uncle Harry?"

Harry turned his gaze on Wes. "Are you feeling better now, mate?" Wes nodded. Before Harry could turn back to the conversation with his colleagues, Wes intruded again, "Uncle Harry? If you and Aunt Ruth are spies, and my Mom and Dad worked with you? Does that mean that my Mom and Dad were spies?" Harry, Ruth and Lucas exchanged a questioning look.

Ruth took over, "Yes, Wes. Your parents were two of the best spies in the world."

Wes looked somber and thoughtful for a while as the adults looked on.

"Uncle Harry, I think I'll be a Dentist!"

The End


End file.
